New York  - UN Security Council members had to stop their meeting on Monday after a fire alarm went off, but resumed shortly after when UN security found nothing harmful.

The 15-nation council was holding a public session to review some of the year's activities, mostly regarding sanctions against Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and efforts in other African countries.

Geneva/Jerusalem  - A UN expert on human rights in the Palestinian territories was deported by Israel Monday, after being refused entry to the country.

Richard Falk had arrived on Sunday to conduct a field visit to the Palestinian areas, but was detained by the Israeli authorities at the airport and never let into the country, a UN official said.

The official said Falk's phone was also taken away and contact with him was limited until he was sent on a plane to the United States.

United Nations, Dec. 15 : The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan has strongly condemned a suicide bombing by Taliban, allegedly using a 13-year-old boy, against British forces in the south of the violence-wracked nation.

The attack, which killed three marines, "again demonstrates the Taliban's total disrespect for human rights," Kai Eide, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said in a statement issued on Sunday.

New York  - The diplomatic group on the Middle East peace process, or quartet, will meet Monday at United Nations headquarters, a few weeks before the change of administration in Washington.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and high-ranking EU officials will attend the meeting under the leadership of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban said he has invited several Arab governments to take part in the quartet discussions along with the four principals: the UN, the European Union, the United States and Russia.

Kathmandu  - Nepal has formally requested the extension of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) for another six months, media reports said Sunday.

The term of UNMIN, set up by the UN to support the peace process in Nepal, is due to end January 23.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present the request with his recommendations to the Security Council in January, and the term was likely to be extended, the Kathmandu Post newspaper said.

UNMIN started work in Nepal in January 2007, following the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the Maoist rebels to end decade long communist insurgency.

New York  - The United Nations Security Council is considering a new Mideast peace resolution presented Saturday by envoys from the United States and Russia.

After a private meeting of the Security Council, Zalmay Khalilzad, US Ambassador to the United Nations, said that the 15-member decision-making body should "recognize the progress that has been made towards the goal of achieving a two-state solution."

He emphasized that "the focus has to be on the principles, not on details" of the long-stymied peace process.

The resolution could come up for consideration as early as Tuesday, when leading foreign ministers are expected to be in attendance at the Security Council.